The Cinch Diet

Fresh from co-writing the Flat Belly Diet, Cynthia Sass has released another diet program, called the Cinch diet. This is a one month path to a better metabolism, fewer cravings and a healthier outlook on food. The diet emphasizes smaller portions of highly nutritious food and in a move that is sure to build a following, includes a daily snack of dark chocolate!

The Cinch diet begins with a "fast forward" phase that prepares you for the month ahead and recalibrates your body's expectations about eating. This helps you to not feel hungry between meals. During the five days of "fast forward" you eat five foods: almonds, eggs, raspberries, spinach and yogurt. Each of these component foods is high in nutrients yet low in calories. During this period, you could lose as much as eight pounds but some of the weight loss is water, so it should not be considered real, long-term weight loss.

Following the fast forward phase, the Cinch diet continues with a 25 day regimen of four meals each day that are drawn from the Cinch "puzzle". The puzzle is made of five pieces, or elements of each meal. These elements are: fresh produce, lean protein, whole grains, oil from plants (but not animals) and spices/seasonings. Each meal has one representative from each of the five puzzle pieces. That means no pork, red meat, sodas (even diet) or alcohol. Only one cup of coffee is permitted per day. Happily, the daily chunk of dark chocolate helps sooth the pain of withdrawal. The plan also recommends five vegetarian meals each week and avoiding processed foods and foods with artificial additives or sweeteners.

On top of the meal plan, the Cinch diet recommends daily exercise. Sass recommends walking as a very accessible exercise and suggests walking for 30 minutes at least five times a day. The exercise is optional during the initial fast forward phase.

The Cinch diet book offers several tips for success, such as scheduling your meals precisely. That means breakfast within an hour of waking and then another meal every 3-5 hours. That helps to avoid feeling hungry while it keeps your metabolism running in high gear. Another tip is to be creative with your meal planning, selecting one component from each of the puzzle pieces but striving to maximize flavor instead of portion size. The striking flavors will help you feel satisfied even though your overall caloric intake has dropped. My favorite tip: don't forget the chocolate! The dark chocolate has known health benefits and also helps to suppress your craving for salt and sweet. That's enough justification for me!

Could this be the right diet for you? The Cinch diet doesn't focus on calorie or carb counting, so that's a real plus. The structure makes meal planning easy, although somewhat limited. The plan predicts a loss of about 10 pounds over the month, which is slightly above the government's recommendation but not too extreme. And the chocolate requirement is heavenly.

Have you tried the Cinch diet? Did it deliver the results? Click on the Comment button and let us know.

1 comment:

I am on my third week of the diet. The first week I lost 8 pounds. The second week I gained (net) two back for a total of 6 pounds lost. I have been 95% strict with the diet, so that is my experience. I have been pleased with the re-regulation of my appestat and my clothes do feel better. After 30 days, I'm imagining the total weight loss will be somewhere in the vicinity of 10-12 pounds, so if you are looking for dramatic short term weight loss, this may not be for you - but as far as changing your eating habits and metabolism for losing 20-30 pounds in six months or a year, it could definitely work!